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“Is Wyatt all right?” I yawned as I spoke and let my heavy eyes close.
“Yes.”
“You want to share what he told you?”
“Yes, but later.” He caught my yawns and gave a deep one of his own.
The rain continued to pour, the wind beat the windows, and the thunder still shouted. I shivered and buried myself in his chest. It was so delicious being safe here with him, and it made me think.
“Will it always be like this?” I asked into the darkness “Someone always behind me wanting me dead?” He didn’t answer right away but stroked the side of my arm tenderly. “I can deal with it. I just want to know,” I whispered.
“You shouldn’t have to deal with it.” He sighed heavily. “Don’t you see? It’s why I made the hardest decision of my life back then. I wanted to keep you away from all this.”
“That wasn’t your call to make.” I yawned again. Even the thought of rehashing that conversation made me tired. I decided this was the time. “Elio, I have something to tell you.”
“I’m listening.” I reached over and pulled his hand to me and let it rest on my stomach. His fingers flexed then stilled. He shot up in bed and stared down at me.
“Are you?”
“Yes.” I blinked back happy tears.
“When did you find out?”
“When we got off the boat and Andrea met me in the house. She bought me a few tests to rule out tiredness and lack of appetite. I was going to tell you, but you never came to bed, and I was so tired.”
“Oh, my God,” he leaned down and kissed my stomach then kissed me softly on the lips. “We’re going to have a baby?”
“Yes.”
“And to think that tonight,” his voice dropped, “you could have,” he paused. “I think this is the first time I ever appreciated that Abramo was there.”
“I still can’t believe he let me live.”
He closed his eyes, and I knew he was digesting all that could have happened.
“Hey,” I touched his face, “I’m here. No, we’re here.” I smiled. “That’s where your focus needs to be.”
“A baby.” He gently stroked my belly again then moved to rest his head on my chest. He began to draw circles around my belly button. I felt so much better now that he knew. Then the exhaustion set in, and I closed my eyes and relaxed, loving Elio being so close.
Just as I drifted off, I heard him whisper, “I’m going to love you just as much as I love your mommy, and no one can top that kind of love.”
A tear slipped out, and I fell sleep with his sweet words warming my heart.
* * *
Morning came and brought with it the warm sun and blue sky. There was a sense of lightness as I got ready for the day, knowing that Greta was finally gone. I smiled as I chose a brightly colored dress and flat shoes. The sheer number of steps in this castle would deter any woman from choosing heels. I heard a commotion at bottom of the stairs and hurried the rest of the way down to find a massive number of suitcases being pushed toward the front door.
“What in the world!” There was Elio a phone tucked under his chin as he barked out orders and took a bite of a slice of toast in his other hand. When he spotted me, he tossed his phone and raced to my side.
“What’s going on? Why are there a mountain of suitcases in the hallway?”
“We’re going home.” He urged me toward a chair and snapped his fingers at the cook, who placed a bowl of fruit in front of me.
“Home? But we still aren’t finished here, and then we have to go to Pesaro.”
“No,” he pulled up a seat next to me, “I can’t have anything else happen to you. Now that I know you’re pregnant, I’m not taking any more risks.”
“Oh, please, Elio!” I waved him off. “There’ll be no less danger between today and when this little one decides to arrive. Life needs to go on.”
